Hours
by hurricane whisper
Summary: Ryou hates being alone and Jounouchi is a terrible liar. A chance encounter on a rainy night brings them closer together. Puffshipping. Chapter 4: Ryou and Jou make a pact, Ryou's way.
1. the bewitching hour

[AN: i have no idea what i'm doing (: ]

It was one of those nights. Spring was melting into summer, the nights were getting warmer, and the air carried that certain scent that made Ryou think of mysteries and adventures in distant lands. One of those nights where raw possibility seemed to crackle in the air like the distant lightning, and rain fell warmly and halfheartedly, there to make fireworks out of boring old streetlights and fragrance the air, not to dampen spirits nor deter revellers. It was after midnight, the witching hour, and Ryou already knew he wouldn't even think of sleeping tonight.

Most nights he liked being at home, where it was quiet and comfortable and where he could make his own food the way he liked it. But not nights like these - nights like these were for being _out_. For exploring, and prowling, and watching. And what Ryou was prowling for tonight was stories. He sat in the little cafe with his coffee and his blank notepad and watched all the little stories play out around him. He filled in the details he couldn't see with his own imagination. He wrote nothing down - only things that could be incorporated into his characters or campaigns got written down, but he watched. It was an old habit leftover from his lonelier days, to watch people interacting and drink in the details of their lives together - casual quips between the waitresses, the flirtations of new couples, the secret glances between siblings… Ryou had a hunger for human contact that could never quite be sated, even though he always felt separate from it … an observer, but never a participant. That line of thinking still hadn't really faded, even though he had friends now. He wasn't sure he'd ever really feel connected to people - the same way scar tissue never fully healed, Ryou wondered if he'd been alone so long that he would always feel alone.

So on nights like these, he went out and watched.

If lightning hadn't flashed across the sky at exactly the right moment, he might probably have never looked out the window, and he would have missed the sight of a familiar figure entirely.

But lightning did flash, and Ryou did glance out the window, and he did see Jounouchi stalk past, head bowed and hands shoved into his pockets.

Ryou leaped to his feet, a happy bubble of delight blooming in his belly. It was one of those nights, and Possibility had placed a friend in his path. At this moment life was good and sweet, and even though Jounouchi wasn't Ryou's closest friend, he was good company, and had a way of livening things up with an effortlessness Ryou both adored and envied. Interesting things happened when Jou was around.

Like a child hearing the call of Faerie, Ryou grabbed his blank notebook and ran out into the night.

It was one of those nights. Jounouchi's head throbbed and the grazes on his hands stung. Something got under people's skin on nights like these, and his father was no exception. Neither was he, if he were honest.

 _Probably coulda gone without the smart remarks. Shoulda kept my head down like usual. Shouldn'ta taken the bait._

 _I keep forgetting I can't fight back anymore._

 _But damn, the look on his face…_

The grin slid off his face like the rain rolling down his cheeks. He didn't want to feel this way. He didn't want to be happy that he'd insulted his father. He hadn't cared a few years ago, and back then he hadn't been afraid to throw a few punches of his own either, let the old bastard get a taste of what he was dishing out…

But that was before he'd made friends with Yugi and the others. And it was also before he'd noticed how sickly and frail his father was looking … how thin he was, his papery wrinkled skin and the hang-dog look about his face... How his once lean arms, the arms of a proud and hardworking family man, had become bony and wasted. He could still hurt Jounouchi - getting kicked in the gut or shoved into a wall or having someone crack a bottle over your head … when someone hits you, really hits you, it always hurts. But there was less and less power behind those blows these days.

The fact was, Jounouchi wouldn't fight back anymore because after all the years of drowning in drink and heartache, his father had become weak - and Jounouchi stubbornly refused to lay a hand on someone who was weaker than himself. It was stupid, yeah, but Jounouchi didn't know how else he was going to get through the last of his adolescence with his sanity intact if he couldn't hold on to this last shred of himself - this idiotic and stubborn sense of nobility.

 _I won't let this change me,_ he had told himself over and over again, clenching his fists protectively over his face so he wouldn't lash them out like he used to. The truth was, Jounouchi was frightened of what it might mean, who he might become, if he turned on his father now. He didn't want that on his conscience and he didn't want to test that slope - not after surviving for so long, not after dragging himself out of Hirutani's gang, and not after all the dramatic speeches he'd made about not fighting an opponent that was weaker than you… not after all the shit he'd put Yugi through in the past - no, he pushed that shameful thought away.

 _Can't look back. Gotta keep moving forward._

 _Gotta find somewhere to pass the night._

The rain was gentle and pleasant after the unbearably stuffy apartment, but it was going to be a problem if he couldn't find some kind of shelter. He thought about calling Honda or maybe Yugi, but he rejected the idea immediately. He'd already crashed at their places too many times and his pride couldn't take the humiliation of another midnight call.

His hands clenched in his pockets now. Nights like these, electrical late spring midnights pregnant with change, tickled the back of his neck and made his hands twitch. He felt agitated, like a caged animal. Like something stretched taut and ready to snap. It was a dangerous feeling and Jou didn't know what else to do with it except walk it off and try to avoid his dad for a few days.

"Jounouchi!"

Jou stopped dead. He knew that breathless voice but he didn't want to turn around. He didn't want to hear Ryou's questions and he wanted even less to give the answers. Yugi, Honda, and Anzu had seen the way he lived and had, unfortunately, met the man who'd sired him, but so far he'd managed to avoid the subject of his home life with the others and he'd hoped to keep it that way.

The fuck was Ryou doing out at this hour anyway?

"Jounouchi…? Is that you...? Um..."

There was nothing for it. He just couldn't leave a friend hanging and there was no other way out of this. He turned around and gave one of his best, most carefree patented Jou(™) smiles.

"Bakura! Good to see ya! Man, what are you doing out so late?"

It was worth turning around to see Ryou's face light up. Jou never quite forgot the sad, staggeringly lonely boy he'd met last year and he got a kick out of seeing him happy.

"I was feeling energetic, so I decided to go looking for character ideas!" Ryou blurted. "There's always interesting people to see at night."

Jou laughed good naturedly. "No doubt. Find anything good?"

Ryou shook his head. "Nothing I can really use so far. I was just thinking I could use some company. Join me?"

"Yeah! Crazy running into each other like this, huh?"

"On a night like this? Hardly," Ryou said airily. Jounouchi had no idea what he meant, but Ryou said inexplicable things all the time. It was weird and sometimes awkward, but Jou liked it. Whether it was people or ideas, Jou had to admire the fact that Ryou wasn't scared of things that different. Anyway he could kinda see what Ryou meant. There was something in the air.

"I bet, on a night like this," Ryou continued as they walked, "I bet the Fae are out. Little children shouldn't sleep near the window on nights like these."

"I'm gonna regret asking, but why not?"

Ryou's black eyes lit up with morbid delight. "Well, they take children away. Some Fae even _eat_ them. Or so they say."

Jou felt a chill. "So they're like ... monsters?"

Ryou laughed, softly. "Yes. Yes, they're monsters."

"But I mean," Jou laughed awkwardly, "They're not, like, _real_ or anything. Right?"

"Who knows," Ryou said dismissively, looking at the shop windows. "This place is open, let's get something to drink."

They went up to the counter to order and the bottom dropped out of Jounouchi's guts.

"Shit. I forgot my wallet."

"No problem, I can pay," Ryou said cheerfully, eyes roving the menu board and display shelves. "Ah~! Those cakes look great. I'll get some to take home."

Jounouchi flushed a little and grunted a thank you. The worst part was, he realised, even if he'd remembered his wallet, it wouldn't have made a difference. It was near the end of the month and he had no fucking money left anyway. He ordered plain black coffee and tried to calm the hell down. It was just coffee. Friends bought each other coffee all the time. No big deal. Not expensive. Certainly not for Ryou.

They walked with their drinks beneath Ryou's umbrella and made pleasant talk. Jounouchi forgot his wounded pride for a while - forgot about his father and his shitty apartment and the ever-mounting debt. Forgot to look over his shoulder for members of his old gang. Their feet took them on a meandering path through the streets, but Ryou took him through the deep twisted woods of Faerie, with all the gruesome details of the archaic versions of the common folk tales. Somehow it led them down into the dank dungeons of the latest campaign Ryou was working on. By the time they'd made it to Ryou's apartment building, they'd somehow ended up in Middle Earth, a place Ryou said he'd been meaning to show Jounouchi.

"- you'd be a Rider of Rohan for sure," Ryou was saying, reaching up to flick a lock of Jounouchi's blond hair. "You even look like one. And they're noble, honest and stubborn, just like you."

"Yeah, that sounds like me. Okay, how about you? What would you be?"

"I would be a Wizard," Ryou said, shifting the bag of groceries he'd bought so he could carry it on his hip like a baby. "For a while I thought maybe I'd like to be an elf, living in Lothlorien, but like the idea of being a wizard better."

"What's Lothlorien?"

Ryou started for the concrete stairs leading up the side of the building. "We can watch the movies, you'll see," he said excitedly. "I didn't expect you to read the books yet but I can't believe you still haven't gotten around to watching the movies. I've been begging you to for _ages_ ," he added sulkily.

Jounouchi had stopped walking.

"Uh," he started awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe not tonight." Jounouchi wasn't sure why he wasn't taking this golden opportunity to spend the night somewhere warm and dry where he'd actually be welcome, but he just … couldn't. Something in him rebelled at the idea. He didn't want to eat Ryou's food, use Ryou's laundry for his wet clothes, sleep on Ryou's couch, get too rowdy and disturb Ryou's neighbours… he didn't want to make trouble. He'd already had the coffee. Spending the night was too much.

"I, uh. I gotta get home. Dad's prob'ly worried by now. I said I wouldn't be long when I left, so…"

The night didn't feel so warm anymore. The four feet of distance between himself and Ryou suddenly felt … vast. _It's the first time I've ever lied to his face like that_ , Jou realised with a sinking feeling. That was the thing about friendships - they were all so pleasant when they started out. Pleasant and perfect. Jou realised something had changed between them in that moment. He'd made his first real fuckup, and he instantly wanted to take it back. It was such a small thing but … he knew things were never going to be the same.

 _It's the start_ , something in him said. _Say goodbye to everything you ever thought you knew about Bakura Ryou. From now on, it gets real._ In that moment it seemed like a veil had been lifted from his eyes and Jou could see the coming years stretched out before them; awkward, messy years, dotted with aches and pains, misplaced intentions and misguided deeds and misunderstood words; mountains of tiny frustrations and failures and so, so many aggravations, and a whole load of guilt. _Mistakes. And we can't avoid it now._

Ryou's eyes were hard and glittering for a moment, and in that second Jou had to wonder how the fuck he could possibly _know_ , when Ryou's face softened into one of his weirdly melancholy smiles.

"You're a terrible liar, Jounouchi," he said gently, but plainly. Just standing there, regarding Jou with a thoughtful look, and stating facts. "You're not very practised. It's why we all love you so much. You're upfront, and honest."

Jou felt rooted to the spot while the midnight street moved around them. He could never understand how Ryou could say such embarrassingly personal things so bluntly with no regard for who could hear them, but it was admirable - powerful, in a way.

"So. Let's be upfront and honest about the fact that you're hurt, and you can't go home tonight."

"I guess the others told you," Jou muttered, running a hand through his damp hair in frustration.

"Nobody told me," Ryou snorted. "I figured it out myself. Until just now I wasn't sure if the others knew, but I've known for a long, long time."

Ryou stepped down off the staircase and closed the distance between them, holding the umbrella over the two of them. "I realised what must have happened tonight ages ago. I've kind of been leading you home the whole time. I really hoped you'd fall for it, but you really are stubborn and proud. But now it's all out in the open, which is much better. Come upstairs."

Jou grimaced. "I can't. It's nothing personal. It's just … it's my stuff, y'know? You shouldn't have to deal with it."

"Jounouchi. I didn't buy all this food just for me and it's stupid to let it go to waste. Besides," Ryou stared directly into Jounouchi's eyes, unblinking. "I'm really happy I met you tonight. I actually hate being alone more than anything. Just come inside."

Jounouchi slowly closed his eyes, exhaling. Relenting. When he opened them again he was smiling.

"Alright. Anything for a friend, right?"

Ryou nodded in a satisfied way and all but marched Jounouchi up the stairs to his apartment. He walked behind, like he expected Jou to make a dash for it and wanted to block his path. Or moreover, like a flustered and put-upon mother duck.


	2. the bewitching hour II

AN: whom else out here wanting jounouchi to be happy and safe? anyway thanks to everyone who commented & followed, also just to update, i still have no idea wat i'm doing ((((: but i upped the rating ((; for jou's smutty mind o: it's probably ooc so join me on this wild ride, there is room on this train, get on. no wtf stamp ur ticket first u animal

* * *

Ryou's hands were trembling slightly as he unlocked the door and stood aside to let Jounouchi in. _Why am I so nervous? Jounouchi is my friend. He's been to my house many times._

 _But never alone …_ whispered a small voice. Ryou's heart was beating like a hummingbird's wings as he followed Jou into his house and shut the rain out. _And never this late at night…_

 _But why should that matter?_ Ryou shook his head while Jounouchi was taking off his shoes. Anyway, he thought as he removed his own footwear, he had other things to think about. _Like putting on a nice meal. I bet he hasn't eaten properly tonight. And getting him some dry clothes, too, I think I've got a few things that might fit him._

It felt really nice, knowing he could do something for a friend in need. He placed his shoes neatly next to Jounouchi's muddy sneakers. _I'm not alone tonight,_ Ryou thought happily.

"Sooo…" Jounouchi started, swinging his arms a little. Ryou smiled. He was used to silence, but it clearly made Jounouchi feel awkward.

"I'll get you some dry clothes," Ryou said. "They won't be especially _glamourous_ , but they'll fit. You can take a bath while I cook us something to eat."

"Aw, hell," Jou said, "You don't have to go to so much trouble for me. I'm fine, honest."

Ryou gave him a withering look. "I disagree. If you won't accept my hospitality for your own sake, then at least think of me. You can't sit on my couch in damp clothes, and you can't put on clean clothes if you're all sweaty and dirty. Don't," he added, when Jou opened his mouth indignantly. "I can smell you from here. I believe I've already made myself clear about the food," he added, holding up the grocery bag.

Jou shuffled uncomfortably. He didn't feel right in Ryou's apartment. He felt like a contaminant - like he was bringing all the filth and sickness of his own home, his own neighbourhood, his own screwed up life, into Ryou's airy, well-kept living room. He felt defensive, and stupid, but mostly just plain ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry," he finally ground out. "I'm no good at letting people help me, even when I know I really need it. _Especially_ when I really need it. _I hate it._ You're just - gonna have to be patient with me."

"It's okay," Ryou said. "I'll just put this in the kitchen and go run you a bath."

"Yeah … sure," Jou murmured, following Ryou. "Is there … is there anything I should be doing?"

"You could try saying 'thank you,'" Ryou said teasingly, putting the bag down on the kitchen island and making for the hallway. Jou said nothing, so Ryou just assumed he was rolling his eyes or making a face. But when he turned to ask Jou how he liked his bath, it was to see his friend in a deep, formal bow.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality."

Ryou had never seen Jounouchi behave so politely and so formally before, not even at temples. _It must mean that much to him_ , he realised. _How often does this happen? And how rarely does he let his friends help when it does?_ Moved, Ryou put a hand on Jou's shoulder. Jou looked up, a little surprised.

"Anytime," Ryou said softly. "And I mean that, Jounouchi. You are welcome to stay here any time at all. Now, how do you like your bath?"

* * *

Jou liked his bath scalding hot, which as it turns out was just how Ryou liked it too. Ryou always got desperately excited about having things in common with people. It was part of his oddball charm, but it also made Jou's heart ache. _He still doesn't expect to have friends, even after all this time..._ After Ryou had got it started, he led Jou down the short hall into his bedroom to find some clothes.

Jou's hands were sweating for reasons he couldn't really identify. He just put it down to leftover jitters from the night's fight. But he'd never seen the room where Ryou slept and he shoved all those weird feelings away in favour of good old fashioned nosiness. While Ryou was fiddling around in the closet, Jou took a good look.

Ryou's bedroom was sparse and surprisingly small. _Of course … this is a kid's room. He turned the master bedroom into the games room …_ Jou grinned. Ryou had a western bed - unmade, blue sheets, and a light summer blanket in a soft grey colour. His eyes were drawn to the middle of the bed, where the sheets were rumpled … the spot where Ryou slept …

Thunder rumbled gently and Jou started, moving his eyes away from the spot and chastising himself for acting so weird. Curiosity was one thing, but geez. His eyes came to rest on the bedside table.

Empty mug. Box of tissues. Book. Lamp. Bottle of lotion. All perfectly normal things to have bedside. Yet, Jou's heart started pounding as a story of Ryou's last night began constructing itself in his mind, entirely without his permission.

He could see Ryou sitting up in bed, sipping tea and reading by lamplight. Could see him stifling a yawn, finishing the last of his drink, marking his page, and flicking out the light. Could see him tossing and turning, rumpling the sheets, restless with the sudden sticky heatwave. Jou could see the moonlight glistening on his long white hair … could see Ryou tugging off his shirt and reaching out in the dark for the lotion …

"Ah!"

Jou really did startle at the sound of Ryou's gentle but ecstatic voice.

"Here we go," Ryou pulled a pair of sweatpants and a tshirt from the bottom of a drawer and turned to face Jounouchi. He held the shirt up to Jou's chest, appraising the fit. "This should do nicely. But like I said, it's not exactly _couture,_ " he looked up at Jou and frowned suddenly. "Are you feeling feverish? You're awfully flushed…" he reached up before Jou could stop him and began feeling his forehead. Ryou's hands felt cool against his skin and Jou had to back away, faking a laugh.

"C'mon man, I'm fine," he said, hoping he sounded normal and _not_ like he'd just gotten to half-mast imagining his friend jerking it. "A bath an' a meal is all the TLC I can take for one evenin'."

Ryou slapped his own forehead and darted toward the bathroom like a rabbit. "The bath!"

Jou followed a lot more slowly, giving himself a little more time to get his shit together. _Now is not the time_ , he scolded himself. Unfortunately, he spotted wadded tissues in the wastepaper basket on the way out, a nice ending to the story he'd made up, and had to grit his teeth on the walk down the hall. _What is the big deal?_ He thought as he dragged his feet to the bathroom. _Yugi and Honda talk about it all the time. If it was them I'd'a laughed and made a joke. I mean, it_ is _pretty funny how obvious he is. Even Yugi keeps the lotion in a drawer. Wonder what he thinks about._

Jou had to stop for a moment. What did Ryou think about when he touched himself?

He steeled himself against those thoughts. It wasn't right to be thinking about Ryou that way right now. Ryou was really doing him a huge solid, and it didn't feel right to be thinking dirty thoughts about him. _Reign it in, you perv._

 _Think of the movies! Sure, they've been spoiled all to hell for years, but at this point the fact that I ain't seen 'em is kinda like a weird miracle. This week on Ripley's Believe It or Not, modern teenager still hasn't seen Lord of the Rings._

Thinking about the geeking out he was gonna do later seemed to do the trick. He entered the bathroom feeling much more like his usual self, and he was able to genuinely smile at Ryou without thinking anything other than what a great friend he'd been to Jou tonight.

"Saved it!" Ryou said, indicating the almost-full tub. "There's bath salts if you want them. Don't let the water out when you're done, it's so humid I think I need a wash too."

"Sure, man," Jou said brightly. Ryou left and Jou locked the door and stripped, throwing his musty clothes in a corner.

 _Hell…_ he thought, looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His left side was one ugly mass of bruising in all kinds of fun colours - blue, green, purple, yellow - Jou turned away, slightly sickened, and turned on the shower to wash down. The water felt good on his tender skin, but he knew he should have iced the bruising. _Like I had the chance,_ he thought bitterly, the fight running through his head …

" _Where the fuck have you been?"_

" _I_ told _you, I had to take another job because you won't pay the fuckin rent!"_

" _Don't talk to me like that!"_

" _I'll talk to you however the fuck I want, you useless_ prick _! You're lucky I convinced the landlady not to kick us out! So why don't you sit the fuck down and take another sip, it's all you're fucking good for!"_

His father had _not_ decided to sit back down. Jou let his breath out slowly. Going home was gonna be bad … going home after a blow-up was always hard, but Jou had really crossed a line this time. Usually it was just general insults and cusses, but his words had hit a mark on his father and it was satisfying, but troublesome in the long run. _He's gonna be so much worse now…_

Jou pushed it from his mind. He was an 'in the moment' kinda guy, and at the moment he was in a very clean, respectably upper-middle class bathroom with absolutely incredible water pressure. He washed his hair - Ryou used lavender shampoo - and rinsed out.

He turned off the shower and stepped into the tub, sighing. It had been ages since he'd had a real bath. The apartment he shared with his dad only had a shower. The bath salts were lavender-scented too, and Jou thought _what the hell_ and dumped a generous scoop into the tub, swirling the water around a little. He decided he liked the fragrance. It was pleasant and relaxing, and he let himself enjoy it in sheer defiance of the macho dickhead he used to be.

He didn't want to spend too long in the tub, especially when Ryou wanted to bathe too, but he allowed himself some time to soak, let his tightly coiled muscles unwind a little. He let his mind go blank and his eyes drift closed …

Some kind of resolve he hadn't realised he'd been holding on to must've melted in that bath, because tears pricked at his eyes, and he didn't bother trying to hold them back.

He was _tired._

He was tired, he was hungry, and he was angry. He was scrawny, and poor, and bruised, and seventeen. He'd been working his ass off throughout the last year and somehow, _somehow_ things had gotten even worse - the apartment was shabbier, the pile of debt was bigger, his grades were dropping, and his performance in the local tournaments was suffering. He had two jobs and he couldn't even buy his own fucking cup of coffee... The thought shattered something in him, and his shoulders shook with suppressed sobs. He didn't make noise but his hitching breaths echoed off the tiles. It sounded pathetic to his own ears, and that made him feel even worse. But he took the moment of privacy to indulge in a little self-pity. _Fuck knows I've earned it..._

Jounouchi lay in Ryou's tub and cried because he knew he'd have to go home soon, and he didn't want to. He didn't want to go back to that stained apartment with its immovable stank of tobacco and cheap liquor and mildew. Not when Ryou's bathroom had bright halogen heaters in the ceiling and smelled like lavender. He sat up and curled his bruised arms around his knees, hugging himself. A deep, shameful part of him wanted to beg Ryou to let him stay forever. Wanted to run into Ryou's arms and tell him everything, like he used to with his father, back before everything had gone to shit. His independence and pride were two of the most important things to him, the things he protected most fiercely after his friends, but at that moment, Jounouchi was acutely aware that he was just a kid, and all he wanted was for someone to take care of him.

 _I must be tired …_ he thought. _I'm not usually such a baby. Come on, kid, on your feet…_

He splashed his face and stood, limbs heavy after the hot water, to step gingerly out of the tub and onto the fluffy white mat. Looking in the mirror again, he gave himself a gentle peptalk. _You got this man. It's gonna be okay. Your tournament scores'll pick up if you listen to Yugi and Grandpa. Dad'll straighten out, he always does. It's just til graduation._

Graduation. If he even graduated…

 _Doesn't matter. You've got the nest-egg._

That was the thought that made him relax. The thought of the tidy little pile of money he was stashing at Honda's house, where neither his own impulsiveness nor his father's habits could get at it. There was a way out - there was always a way out. He stared hard at his reflection and reminded himself that he had a future to look forward to.

 _And I'm not alone. Honda's watching my money. Yugi's training me._

 _Ryou said I could stay any time._

Tears threatened again, but this time Jounouchi shook his head like a dog. _Gotta keep it together._

There was a truly intoxicating smell of cooking pervading the apartment, and Jou was anxious to investigate it. He glanced around the room and groaned.

Ryou had forgotten to give him a towel.

* * *

AN: listen,,, u might *think* this is cheap and anticlimactic as a "cliffhanger" but if u do then u don't understand ,, it is really really awkward to get out of the tub or shower and realise u don't have a towel . don't be like jou kids. always remember your towel o: especially if you're staying with your hella cute crush (O/O) that u didn't kno u had a crush on til literally just now o(0)o thx for reading disclaimer who knows what's going on? not me. not this bitch ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	3. the dark hour

AN: "yuujou" literally means friendship and i'm dying *sips coffee from a mug* also i already want to rewrite this thing completely and rename it, but i'll at least finish this version first. i guess from here on out, consider this a draft? yiiiikes...

* * *

Ryou unpacked the groceries slowly, mulling things over in the quiet. Little noises kept coming from the bathroom - just things like the shower hissing and water splashing onto the tiles… Ryou knew it was just plain sad how much he adored the small sounds of having Jounouchi in his house, but he let himself enjoy it anyway.

Not that he was alone all the time these days, he mused while he diced onions. On Monster World nights, his place was pandemonium - in the best way. Those were Ryou's favourite memories - everyone being rowdy and noisy and messing up his house. Slowly Ryou's world was filling up with precious memories that weren't from before his mother and sister had died. Preparing snacks with Anzu, and fending off Jou and Honda using a pot lid as a shield, breathless with laughter and flushed bright - " _The day may come where you partake of these treats, but it is not this day!_ " -The rare times Mai would make an appearance, bringing souvenirs and exotic foods and funny stories. _Some of them_ , Ryou blushed, _less appropriate than others_. Breaking up lighthearted scuffles between Otogi and Honda and then waking up the next day to find both of them had drawn on his face in the night - " _Looks like we managed to find a truce after all!" "Yes, but the last laugh is mine. I'm perfectly happy to walk around with a poor rendition of a penis on my face."_

Latest of all was laughing at Yugi and Jou doing the silly 'Yuujou' shtick they'd taken to - "Guess what we are!" Yugi would shriek from atop Jou's shoulders. "A terrible pun!" somebody always shouted.

"Something you can show, but you can't see…" Ryou murmured to himself as he began sauteing the onions with some garlic. His mind kept going back to Jounouchi's face, alight with happiness, his laughter echoing through Ryou's living room...

 _I need to finish this new campaign soon, so we can do it again_ … he smiled gently. _They'll_ _wreck_ _my beautiful plans to smithereens, of course, but I can't wait to see how._

The shower sputtered to a stop and Ryou heard Jounouchi get into the tub as he added meat and peppers to the pan. He wasn't sure what he was making, exactly, just that it would be hearty and substantial. He let his hands work and his mind wander back to the boy that was in his bathroom. It was true that Ryou had friends over from time to time, but only having one guest was so much more ... _intimate_.

Ryou's face went red as he imagined what Jou must look like now, wet and naked, reclining in the tub - _his tub_ \- as steam floated and curled ethereally about the entire scene … Ryou's mind took him to faraway, fantastic places as tentative little rumbles of thunder from the storm vibrated in his chest, more feeling than sound. In his mind, Jou had become a mighty warrior, a travelling hero resting in a rustic tavern that Ryou kept, recovering from some desperate battle -

Ryou's mind did a record scratch and he scolded himself. Jounouchi _was_ recovering from a fight. He was upset and hurt, and now was not the time for Ryou to be indulging in weird, erotic fantasies.

 _It's the storm_ , he told himself. _I always get like this when the weather turns ..._

He'd never deny that he was curious, not even if Jounouchi were to ask directly. Ryou preferred to be frank about this kind of thing. He was certain he wasn't in love with Jounouchi, but Jou was handsome, and lively, and charming in his own way. And Ryou thought he was terribly cute when he played games - he just got so _lost_ in them - and even cuter when he was spooked.

 _I should give him a tarot reading some time …_ Anzu, Mai and Yugi were regulars, but Otogi wasn't interested, Honda outright thought it was dumb, and Jou - Ryou had to laugh - Jou always went white as a sheet and said he wouldn't have a reading if you paid him. Which coming from Jou was a very serious refusal. _But …_ said a devious little voice in his mind _he_ does _owe me at least one little favour now, doesn't he?_

"Uh … Bakura?" Jou's tentative voice drifted from the bathroom. Ryou's heart hammered. What did he want? Was he … could he be injured enough to need help bathing? Ryou flushed deep pink at the thought.

"Y-yes?" he stammered.

"I - uh. Could I please have a towel?"

Ryou buried his face in his hands. Of course. _Stupid!_

"I'm sorry! I'll get you one right away!" He had some really nice, enormous, fluffy ones for when guests came over. Clutching one of these, he knocked on the bathroom door, with his eyes screwed shut, trying to keep his hands steady. And trying not to think of the vision he'd conjured up before, of Jounouchi glistening and swathed in steam … that line of thinking wouldn't do.

Ryou heard the door open and he offered the towel and bowed his head, eyes still tightly closed, hair falling over his face - there was not the slightest chance he was going to invade his friend's privacy.

But Jounouchi had only opened the door just a bit, so he could stand behind the door and stick his arm through. The result was that Ryou stood there holding out the towel and Jounouchi groped blindly for it without once making contact and nothing was happening and neither of them said anything and the silence spun out until Ryou decided this was stupid at the exact same time that Jou also realised Ryou must have his eyes closed and the result was that Jou opened the door wide at the exact same moment that Ryou opened his eyes and looked up.

Ryou's jaw dropped and eyes went wide. The mythical Jounouchi he'd envisioned might as well have been a cloud of steam, blown to shreds by the cold air of reality.

The real Jounouchi was skinnier than Ryou would have guessed - somehow he looked smaller without his clothes. His nipples were pink like Ryou's, but larger and darker. He had noticeable t-shirt tan lines.

And he looked like hell.

" _Jesus Christ_ ," Ryou whispered. It was partly a curse and partly a prayer, something his mother used to say a lot when something was too horrifying or too overwhelming to cope with alone.

Jou's face contorted into a sour grimace and he snatched the towel and shut the door in Ryou's face.

"Sorry you had to see that," Jou said through the door. His tone was remorseful and bitter. "If it makes you feel any better, it looks worse than it is."

Ryou shook his head, forgetting that Jou couldn't see. He was coming to grips with why he'd felt so weird all night. It was because he'd never been fully allowed inside Jounouchi's world before, and Jou had been planning on keeping it that way. Yugi and Honda had probably seen this before. Maybe even Anzu.

 _"I guess the others told you…"_

They hadn't. But they'd known, and nobody had felt the need to let Ryou in on it. He'd had to figure it out himself, from guesses and conjecture and sneaky listening when the others hadn't noticed he was there.

 _He has a right to his own privacy_ , Ryou reasoned. His hands clenched into fists. _I'm not entitled to know every little detail about his life ..._

 _But this is so important, and we're supposed to be friends, and he was just going to let this go on without ever telling me!_ A childish and indignant part of him wailed. _Something terrible might have happened and I might never have known until it was too late. Something terrible_ has _happened, and the only reason I've been able to help is because of dumb luck!_

 _And I'm sick of being left out of everything!_

The door opened and Ryou forgot to be mad or hurt when he saw Jounouchi's face. _We're_ _here now._

Ryou wasn't sure if it was perverted or not, but there was something to be said for the way it felt to see Jounouchi wearing his clothes. It was almost as exciting as having Jounouchi in his room earlier.

 _Get a grip._

"The food is almost ready," Ryou said. "While we wait, I have something for those bruises."

What, those?" Jou grimaced, shaking head. "Don't worry, they'll be gone in a few days. It's really okay, don't fuss."

"It is _not_ okay!" Ryou burst out. Jou looked like he'd been slapped. His usually sunny face coloured deep red, but with anger or shame, Ryou neither knew nor cared. Not when Jounouchi was being this stubborn and this _stupid_. "It's not okay, and I'm not fussing. We've been over this. Just let me help you."

Jou's eyes were cast away and downwards and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. The boy was at a loss, and though Ryou felt bad for yelling, he also knew he couldn't back down. Finally Jou took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Bakura. The truth is -" he seemed to be steeling himself. "The truth is, I'd really like some help. I'm tired'a dealing with this shit on my own."

Ryou's heart leapt. He smiled at Jou, wide and earnest. "I'd be glad to help. I'm sorry, too - for yelling." He practically bounced into the bathroom, headed for the medicine cabinet.

"Ah, don't sweat it," Jou said, clapping him on the back. "Me an' Honda yell at each other all the time. It's just part of the deal."

"Deal?" Ryou asked, quirking his head.

"Uh … yeah. Like, being friends. It's part of that."

"Like a pact…" Ryou murmured, shuffling through the medicine cabinet for the ointment.

Jou laughed. "Yeah, you could call it that." He thought for a moment. "Actually … we did make a pact. Me, Honda, Anzu and Yugi."

Ryou's eerily dark eyes almost bugged out of their sockets. "Really?" He unscrewed the jar and put it on the counter, beckoning Jou to come closer.

"Yeah," Jou said, stripping off the shirt without a thought. "Back when … hahah, it sounds so weird now … back when Kaiba tried to kill us. When we were all caught in his, uh. Death trap theme park. Fuck, that was a long time ago. Anyway, that was when Yugi first told us there was another personality living inside him. He was scared we were going to abandon him, or that he was going to get us hurt or killed. But we told him we were always gonna be his friends, and we all stood in a circle and drew this symbol on our hands… It sounds dumb when I say it, but…

I don't think we could have gotten out of there alive without it."

Ryou was studying Jou's side, stockstill. "It doesn't sound dumb at all," he said quietly, taking some ointment in his cool fingers and starting to apply it to Jou's skin in small, gentle circles. He knew how much bruises like these could hurt, having woken up with them himself from time to time, back when he'd been possessed by the spirit of the Ring, so he tried to make treating them as painless as possible.

"It sounds … nice," he went on. "When I tried to tell my friends I thought I was possessed, they laughed at me. When people started going into comas, they hated me. They shoved me away when I tried to talk to them. They called me a witch, and then a demon. I transferred to a different school after they dragged me out behind the gym and cut off my hair. It used to be a lot longer. But I'd told them once that some witches believe longer hair is a symbol of wisdom and prowess, so…"

Jou cursed. "Shit man, I'm sorry."

Ryou shook his head. "It doesn't matter now."

"Yeah it does! If I'd've known back then, I'd beat 'em up for doing that to you."

Ryou sighed and tried to speak gently. "Jounouchi… if you had known me back then, you probably would have beaten _me_ up."

Ryou felt Jounouchi's whole body go tense, and he suddenly backed away from Ryou, out of his reach. Ryou let his hands drop to his sides, not looking at him. He knew he shouldn't have said it. He knew even before he opened his mouth, so why? What so important about being honest when it hurt people's feelings all the time?

The silence spun out, ringing in Ryou's ears so loud he could barely hear Jou's laboured breaths.

"I know," he heard Jou say eventually, and tears came to Ryou's eyes when he heard how shaky Jou sounded. "I know I would have, okay? I know what I used to be. I know I never would have been friends with someone like you before I met Yugi. Someone who says weird shit about ghosts and demons and frigging _fairies_ all the time. Someone with a rich dad and a nice apartment and …" Jou's voice cracked. "Fuck me, I'm out. I can't do this. Sorry for the trouble." Jounouchi snatched up the shirt and headed for the entrance, covering the distance in long, angry strides.

"Jounouchi-" Ryou started, following him down the hallway. "I'm sorry!"

"I'm fucking _out_ ," Jou snarled, shoving his feet into his sneakers. He wrenched open the door and paused. "I'll … I'll see you around."

And then he was gone.

And Ryou was alone again.

* * *

Jounouchi ran down the stairs so recklessly he half expected to break his neck, but he didn't slow down. It was kind of like jumping, which is what he'd almost wanted to do. Once he hit the bottom he picked a random direction and _walked_ , slamming his feet down decisively until he found the nearest dark alley. He ducked into the relative privacy, and squatted among the garbage, rank in the humidity, gripping his hair so tight he felt like he was going to rip it out.

He fucking _hated_ nights like these.

But not nearly as much as he hated himself. Guilt tore his spirit to shreds - guilt for the things he'd done two years ago, for the things he'd said to his father two hours ago, and for the things he'd done in Ryou's apartment not five minutes ago.

He didn't even know why he'd gotten so angry. What Ryou had said back there was true, and he'd even admitted it. The old him would have hated and feared Ryou just as much as the kids who'd tormented him. Maybe even more. But it stung to think about it, and to hear Ryou just say it like that …

He could see the building from here and he turned away, wincing. A second later he looked back, unable to help it. The lights in Ryou's apartment, the only ones lit in the building, were shining like beacons. A little rumble of thunder vibrated in his aching chest.

 _Go back,_ the voice in head that sounded like Yugi urged. _You have to go back and say sorry. You made him cry!_

"I can't," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I've fucked up so, so badly. I can't look him in the eyes now."

 _You must go back,_ said a clearer, firmer voice - a voice Jou really didn't want to remember in that moment. Not Him. Not now, when he'd just acted so shamefully, and not when he was already too upset to deal with a fresh wave of grief on top of everything else.

 _Everyone is grieving_ , the voice persisted. _You_ _must go back. You cannot leave him alone now._

 _("I actually hate being alone more than anything...")_

" _Arrgh!"_ Jou growled and leapt to his feet, running back towards Ryou's. He'd taken three steps when he stopped and spun on his heel, gripping his hair again. What if Ryou was angry? Wouldn't it be better to give him some time to cool off before going back to apologize?

Then he turned back and started again. No, that was dumb. Ryou was lonely and hurt, not mad.

He froze again. _What if he thinks I'm just after a bed and a free meal?_ He turned around to walk away. Then, with a wordless shout, he spun back to face Ryou's and broke out into an all-out sprint. He was just stalling, trying to chicken out. So he sprinted as thunder cracked again, loud and true. Jounouchi sprinted because the faster he ran, the harder it was to stop and overthink.

He took the stairs two at a time and was almost sick by the time he made it back up to Ryou's door. He hammered on the wood with his fist, too breathless to call out but hoping, desperately hoping -

Ryou threw open the door seconds, even paler than usual and shaking.

Jou's lungs heaved, fighting for a little bit of breath to say the words he desperately needed to.

"Bakura! Let's-" he panted, doubled over with his hands on his thighs, sucking in a few more breaths while Ryou stared, bewildered. " _Let's make a pact!"_

* * *

AN: ye btw i do fully intend to have them start calling each other by their given names. thanx for reading, i'm still haven't got a clue ,, but i'm havin fun 3


	4. the dark hour II

AN: okay kids here's some more o' dat good ooc ~dramaaaa~~~!

god this went so far off the rails. this was not what i thought i was going to end up writing. but we're here now (:

* * *

Ryou stared blankly at Jounouchi's earnest face as he leaned, panting, on the doorframe and stared up at him. He just watched the feelings play out as he tried to keep up with Jou's wild shifts this night - from stubbornness and pride, to vulnerability, to pain and anger, and now, apparently, penitence and compromise. Even now, eyes never leaving Ryou's, Jou's face ran the gauntlet from determination, to hopefulness, to silent pleading, to remorse, to dejection, and then somehow right back around to pride, but a different breed to the pride that had caused him to reject Ryou's help and run away.

"I'm sorry for getting angry. You were only telling the truth, and who we were before we met doesn't matter as much as the fact that we're here now," Jou said seriously. "If … if it's alright with you, I'd like to stay, and make a pact with you just like I did with Yugi and the others. We swore we'd never run out on each other, and I want you to know that I'll never run out on you either."

Ryou's eyes filled with tears without him knowing it was happening until they were spilling over. Wherever they were coming from, it was a much deeper place than anything that had been touched that rainy evening. It wasn't just about Jou running out and coming back. It was about being abandoned to suffer grief alone, it was about being pushed away and alienated from his friends, it was about the empty dolls on his shelves that had once housed the souls of anyone who'd tried to get close to him, it was about being sent away from his friends' sides only last year because they didn't trust him.

And here was Jounouchi, telling him it was never going to happen again.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying," he lied, wiping his eyes and standing aside. "Please come back inside, you're getting wet again-"

He was cut off by Jounouchi seizing him and pulling him into a fierce hug. He was hot from running, radiating and surrounding Ryou in a kind of warmth he hadn't even known existed. He felt like it was sinking into his bones. It was like stepping out into the first warm rays of sunlight after a long winter. If Ryou was winter snow, he melted in that warm embrace.

"Don't do that," Jou said hoarsely. "Don't keep your feelings to yourself, even if it's messy or inconvenient. Even if it hurts me. Your honesty is one of the best parts about you, so don't give it up just because I acted like a jerk."

"I'm sorry, Jounouchi," Ryou said into his chest. "I'm really sorry about what I said. But you really hurt me, too. Does it really bother you that I say strange things?"

"No! I like it! I like that you're different and I like that you like creepy things! I'm a big baby who jumps when someone so much as says 'boo!', but you - you _laugh_. It's like you're not scared of anything!"

"I'm scared of lots of things, Jounouchi," Ryou said, breaking the hug to look up at him solemnly. "I think most of all, I'm scared of losing my friends. I don't like to think any of you would leave me, but…"

"Not gonna happen," Jounouchi said firmly.

"I hope so," Ryou said. "And you should know, I was crying because I was really happy you came back. Anyway, come inside! I think the food's almost ready, I still want to take a bath, and we haven't even _started_ on the movies."

"Yeah, food! I'm _starving_. Didn't really get much of a chance to eat before … well, anyway, let's eat! Can we eat now?"

"Sure," Ryou said cheerily. "As much as you like, I have plenty!"

For the second time that night, Ryou brought Jounouchi in from the rain.

This time, he stayed.

* * *

It was three in the morning. They had eaten, and Ryou had taken his bath. He came out to find Jounouchi kneeling at the shrine to his mother and sister, hands together in prayer.

"Oh, hey!" he said cheerfully, when he noticed Ryou had entered. "I just thought I'd say hi, pay my respects..."

"Thank you, I'm sure they appreciate it," Ryou said, sitting down next to him and looking at the picture of them smiling together. After a moment, he spoke again. "You and Mama are very similar in a lot of ways. I bet she really likes you."

"I hope so," Jou said. They lapsed into a comfortable, thoughtful silence. Ryou was thinking about how Mama always used to have the same knack Jounouchi did, for filling a room with her presence and making everyone around her laugh and smile. How she faced everything with the same, almost manic kind of zeal. He was thinking that, when he had moment to himself, he was going to write a long letter to her and Amane and tell them everything about tonight.

 _Something always changes on nights like these … I feel like it's been a whole year, but it's only been a few hours. How many more things will change between me and Jounouchi before the sun rises?_

 _How would I like them to change?_

The question hung in the air between them the way he imagined magic lingered after a spell, leaving him with goosebumps.

And speaking of magic …

"It's time," he said decisively, standing up.

"Time for what?" Jou said, looking up at him bemusedly.

Ryou smiled, black eyes alight. "You said you wanted to make a pact. Let's do it … my way."

Jou hesitated for only a second. Then he grinned. "Okay."

Ryou gathered candles and other paraphernalia while Jou waited in the living room, looking more and more uneasy. Ryou focused on his task, drawing a circle and placing the candles. The sigils he chalked on the floor meant nothing to Jou, but he assumed Ryou knew what he was doing.

"Alright, I think that's everything," Ryou said happily, standing back to admire his work.

"Not quite," Jou said, fidgeting because he was of his depth, but determined to do this right. "You need a marker. Permanent, if you've got it."

"I understand," Ryou said, dashing to his room and returning with a permanent marker in blue ink. "Will this do?"

"It doesn't matter," Jou said. "You use whatever you've got. What matters is the feeling."

Ryou laughed. "You know Jou, for someone who doesn't voluntarily go anywhere near anything supernatural, you've summed up the first rule of magic perfectly."

"Guess I'm a natural," Jou joked uncomfortably. "Sooo … what happens now?"

Ryou smiled his enigmatic smile but didn't answer right away. He lit the candles and turned out the lights. The room was cast into an eerie semi-darkness, the flickering candles making it look like every shadow was moving. Ryou moved closer to Jou, looking right at him.

"Are you scared?" he whispered.

Jou huffed out a breath, relaxing slightly. "I was scared the first time. Maybe that's just part of it."

Ryou 'hm'd and seemed satisfied with the answer. He stepped into the circle and sat down, kneeling, holding out his left hand. "Now you," he said.

Jounouchi awkwardly followed suit, reaching out his own left hand to Ryou's.

"You drew on your right hands with the others right?" Ryou said. "So you need to do this one on the other hand."

"Yeah," Jou said. The uncapped marker sat between them on the floor. Ryou picked it up with his right hand, holding it up.

"What symbol should I draw?"

"Anzu drew a smiley face," Jou recalled. The whole occult feel to the thing had speaking in a hushed voice, leaning in close like he and Ryou were sharing grade school secrets. The shivers up his spine were starting to feel less creepy and more … exciting. "I think it was just the first thing that came to her head. Whatever it is, it should be something simple."

Ryou pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "I'll draw a star," he decided. He liked stars, and they reminded him of Jou - they made Ryou smile, but once he knew more about them, he understood that they were all heat and light. And it reminded him of Yugi's hair, and really, it was Yugi who had brought them together in the first place.

"Sounds good," Jou said. He moved his hand closer to Ryou's, so they were touching side-by-side. He hadn't expected to feel a tingling jolt of … _something_ running up his arm, but to his credit he didn't flinch away from it, though he was sure he was blushing. It had to be part of this ritual Ryou had put together. Jou wasn't sure whether he really believed in this kind of magic, but … maybe there was something to it.

Ryou touched the marker to Jou's skin first. Unlike the first time, there was no need for haste, so Ryou carefully and slowly traced the shape of half a star. When he came to the apex of the top point, he paused for only a moment before crossing from Jounouchi's hand to his own. It felt like closing a circle. When he was done, he made to move away, but Jounouchi stopped him.

"Wait!" he whispered almost frantically. "We should say something first, while we have our hands together like this. Bakura," he started, but Ryou interrupted him.

"Will you call me by my given name?" he asked politely, face burning.

Jounouchi was slightly taken aback, but he smiled. "Sure. And you can call me by mine. It'll be another symbol of our pact." Ryou nodded.

"Alright…" Jounouchi took a deep breath and started again, looking directly into Ryou's eyes. "Ryou. This mark is a symbol of our bond. It means I'll always be there, no matter what!" he said it with pride and conviction, even in his lowered voice.

Ryou let out a breath that was almost a gasp. "Katsuya," he started, then paused, liking the name on his tongue. "Katsuya. I'll always be there for you too. No matter what."

Jounouchi - no, Katsuya - laughed a little, looking embarrassed but happy. He pulled away his hand and help it up, admiring the symbol. He looked at Ryou and flashed the back of his hand, grinning. Ryou smiled sheepishly and showed his too.

"So. That's it then?" Ryou asked.

"That's it," Katsuya nodded. "Now whenever you feel alone, you can look at the back of your hand and remember you're not. Even after the mark washes off, it'll still be there. Haha, if that makes any sense…"

"It does," Ryou said, staring at the mark.

"You know…" Katsuya said pensively, looking around. "This occult stuff isn't so bad. I mean, things like this at least. It's kinda nice."

"Yes, I like it," Ryou said. He knew they should be getting out of the circle, sweeping it up and properly ending the spell, or whatever they'd just done, but he was reluctant to leave when Katsuya was sitting so close in the candlelight. He knew he was probably blushing, but the light was playing in Katsuya's golden hair, and the shadows clinging to the corners of his face were showing Ryou angles he'd never seen before.

"And it's weird, but," Katsuya went on, slowly letting the thought form into words. "I feel like I can say anything now, and it would be okay… like, nothing can hurt us in here. I kinda don't wanna leave," he finished with a nervous little laugh, gesturing at the circle in general.

"Yes, the point of a circle is protection," Ryou said, leaning in eagerly. "You create a mystical space between worlds, where magic can be called upon and used, and at the same protect yourself and the spell from any harmful influences … or entities," he added darkly.

"So the... y'know-" he held up his hands and waggled them in front of his face like claws " _-scary stuff_ can't get us while we're in here?"

Ryou covered his mouth, giggling. "Yes, the-" he mirrored Katsuya's pantomime "- _scary stuff_ can't cross into the circle."

"Good to know." Katsuya looked at Ryou's face, only a little uncertain. They were so close, and he didn't want that to go away right now. Ryou looked so _right_ in candlelight. Katsuya swallowed. "So … it's okay for us to be sitting in here even though the spell is over?"

"I don't think there's any harm in lingering for a while," Ryou said softly. He laid his marked hand over Katsuya's for a brief moment, as if to reassure him, and then let it rest so they were side by side, making the star.

 _I want more of this,_ Katsuya thought, staring at their hands. _I want to see more of this side of Ryou and I don't want to be scared anymore - I won't be scared of the things he's interested in, and I won't be scared of getting close to him, or letting him get close to me._ Katsuya might have felt like an outsider in Ryou's world when he'd walked into the apartment earlier, but here in the dark with Ryou's hand touching his, he realised that none of it mattered. So what if he was poor and stupid and had a fucked up home life? Ryou didn't care. All that shit felt like it was a million miles away. _The scary stuff can't get to us while we're in here._ He felt like a star, burning way out in the night, untouched and unafraid.

Outside, warm rain was pouring down and thunder murmured restlessly. The night was heavy and charged, and Ryou ran his ink-stained hand up Katsuya's arm without fear, but not without a certain amount of hesitation. The circle was supposed to be safe. Was this okay?

Katsuya gasped softly, warm eyes locked on Ryou's black ones. It was a silent, tense moment. Ryou's touch had left a fizzling comet trail of sensation along Katsuya's arm. Slowly, Katsuya mimicked Ryou's action, heart fluttering, and pulled him close, resting their foreheads together. He could feel Ryou's breath on his skin and he shivered, letting his eyes slide shut...

Katsuya thought of the moment he'd had outside Ryou's building, when he'd first lied. When he'd realised that things were changing between them, and how it meant that in some ways, things weren't going to be as easy or simple as they had been before. Now, in the circle of candlelight, he understood that some things were simple, even if they weren't easy. Ryou closed the distance between their lips and Katsuya met the kiss with shy eagerness. It was a surreal and ephemeral moment, and something in the back of his mind was clamouring that he was _kissing Bakura Ryou_ , his friend, and that this was a terrible and reckless idea. But that part of his mind was somewhere outside the circle, and fear couldn't reach him here in this little universe Ryou had chalked out of the floor, where they were the only stars.

* * *

AN: thanks for reading! i think there's only going to be one more chapter to wrap things up but i do have ideas brewing for like ... a more long term thing? just seeing how their relationship grows and develops. so there may be more stories about these two in the future. but i'm working on another unrelated, much bigger project at the moment (hopefully the first part of that will be up some time this week)


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